Cape Town – The South African Police Service (SAPS) anti-kidnapping task team has arrested 14 people, including three Chinese nationals and two Mozambicans, in connection with the kidnapping of a Zimbabwean businessman.
The arrests were made in Gauteng on Monday.
The businessman was reportedly kidnapped near his workplace on Sunday.
“By Monday afternoon, the anti-kidnapping task team which also includes a number of other units within the SAPS, working closely with private security partners managed to find the kidnapped victim, safe and alive at an identified address in Diepkloof, Soweto.
#sapsHQ Three Chinese nationals and two Mozambicans are among fourteen kidnappers that have been arrested by the South African Police Service (SAPS) anti-kidnapping task team in Gauteng. The fourteen are alleged to have kidnapped a Zimbabwean businessman on Sunday near his… pic.twitter.com/Ib314iQINU
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) July 15, 2024
“They also managed to trace the fourteen kidnappers at various locations, the first eight were traced to an apartment in Greenstone Park and the rest were arrested in Sandton,” police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said.
Among the items recovered from the kidnappers were multiple speed point machines, a substantial amount of cash withdrawn from the victim’s bank account, and two firearms, one of which had been stolen during a house robbery in Linden in 2023.
Mathe said that the SAPS has recently made notable strides in intercepting kidnappers linked to syndicates targeting businessmen for ransom.
He urged communities to report any suspicious activities in their neighbourhoods to help combat criminal activities effectively.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
